CAGI awards Cars, Trucks and Motorcycles of the Year for 2017 » Manila Bulletin Newsbit

After 13 years of recognizing the best car and truck models on the Philippine automotive stage, Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) finally shares the spotlight with its two-wheel counterparts with the awarding of the first-ever Motorcycle of the Year Philippines (MOTY-P) this 2017.

The motorcycles were named as the very first of the said prestigious accolade at C3 Place in Greenhills, San Juan City last Nov. 27. The Suzuki Raider R150 FI was announced CAGI and Carmudi.com.ph Motorcycle of the Year-Philippines Commuter Class (299 cc and below). The Suzuki GSX-R 1000 R was announced CAGI and Carmudi.com.ph Motorcycle of the Year-Philippines Leisure Class (300 cc and above).

Meanwhile; announced as the proud winner of the much-coveted 2017 CAGI and Carmudi.com.ph Car of the Year Philippines title was the Honda CR-V 1.6 SX Diesel after just clawing its way to the top and coming down to the wire in a tight tabulation of over-all results with two other highly competitive finalists in the Volkswagen Jetta BE+ and the Suzuki Vitara GLX.

The 2017 CAGI and Carmudi.com.ph Truck of the Year- Philippines award, on the other hand, was bestowed on the Mitsubishi Strada GLS 4×4 MT after besting the Isuzu D-Max 4×2 in a likewise fierce rubber match of pick-up trucks.

“In the history of CAGI, it was the first time that a crossover vehicle won over-all. Hence, it only means to show that manufacturers now are continuously improving their products to be able to fit the needs of the market. For Filipinos nowadays, they want vehicles that are not too big, not too small, but just right,” saidCAGI President, Ronald de los Reyes in his speech.

CAGI has etched six exhausting days in the calendar in a span of three months for the testing of all the new cars, pick-up trucks and motorcycles (three days for cars and trucks, three days for motorcycles) at Ayala Land Premier’s newest development down in Taguig, Arca South.

After being scrutinized under the careful eye of the testers and the strict, rigorous process of partner auditing firm KPMG R.G. Manabat& Co., 41 cars and trucks together with more than fifty motorcycles were put through a seeming torture chamber to be able to come up with best among the rest.

“This is just the beginning. CAGI in Japanese means ‘key’. Hence, our name stands for something—that we serve as a key to opening new doors for the two-wheel industry. We remain positive at every turn,” said de los Reyes.

The awarding ceremonies were also made possible with the strong partnership with co-presenter Carmudi Philippines, together with the support of Ayala Land Premier, Arca South, NLEX Corporation, Worldbex Services International, Manila International Auto Show and SEC.